Designer Profile: Monday Swimwear 2015

The long awaited 2015 collection of Monday Swimwear is finally here. Named after the notion that, “If you’re in a bikini on a Monday, you are having a good day,” Monday Swimwear’s Summer collection features sought after styles which sold out in last year’s collection, such as “The Clovelly Top” and “Tulum Suit,” as well as new pieces like “The Bahamas One Piece” and “Cala Conta Bandeau.” All of the swimwear is made with Monday Swim’s signature, buttery soft fabric and with a refreshing, feminine palette of pink, orange, off white and blue. Natasha and Devin tell us more:

What is the inspiration behind the Summer Collection?

The Summer Collection is a representation of femininity. Our main inspiration was Halle Berry in “Die Another Day.” The last collection was so bold and strong, we wanted to bring back the same silhouettes but in a more toned down, feminine way. One of our friends once told us, “what makes a woman beautiful is that they are delicate and emotional”, this really resonated with us, we feel like behind even the strongest and most determined woman, there is a soft and subtle side to them.

What is the LBB collection?

The LBB collection is our “Little Black Bikini” collection, which will most likely always be sold on our site and is not seasonal. We designed this collection with the thought that every girl needs a Little Black Bikini just like they need a Little Black Dress. We both wear a lot of black and think it is a timeless, mysterious and flattering shade, certainly worthy dedicating a collection to.

It has been 1 year since the last collection sold out, why the wait? 

This past year has certainly taught us patience. To create our first collection we collaborated with a manufacturer in LA, which made things so easy and fun but one of the only things we controlled were the designs of the suits themselves. The collection did so well and sold out within two months but we decided for the next collection we wanted to take the Monday Swimwear entirely into our own hands. We are so used to being a two woman team and being in control of every part of our businesses, so even if it was going to be a huge challenge for us to take on alone, we knew it was what we needed to do to really have Monday Swimwear as a part of us. Because of this we had to start from scratch and we knew NOTHING about manufacturing, we have so many ridiculous stories of successes and failures over the last year, but now that the collection is complete we wouldn’t have it any other way!

Where did you shoot the look books?

The summer look book was shot in our favorite place in the world, Staniel Cay in The Bahamas. The LBB Collection was shot somewhere very special as well, we hunted down a beautiful location we once saw in Vogue, which was an hour outside of LA, and flew back to shoot there. We wanted the summer look book to be beachy and sexy and the LBB to have a more editorial/ high fashion feel, we feel like the look books are a representation of the two sides to us, our beachy side and fashion focused side.

Tell us about the Tulum one size fits most?

The Tulum suit is one of our favorite suits in the collection because it can be converted from a full coverage top and bottom to a brazilian cut bottom and tiny top by moving the tabs around to your liking. It’s the best of both worlds and we love that girls can adjust it depending on where they are and their mood.

How did you name the styles?

We named them after some of our favorite places in the world including Cala Conta in Ibiza, Tulum in Mexico, Le Marais in France, Palma in Spain, Clovelly in Australia and The Bahamas.

Do you remember the moment you were inspired for the new collection? 

Yes, it’s hard to forget. Funnily enough, Devin and I were in Bali getting massages on the beach, we were talking about the orange and white bikini that Halle Berry wore in “Die Another Day,” and got really excited about the idea of having orange and white in the collection, we politely left the massage and ran to the room to start designing, from that day onwards we dreamt of the wearing the blue, orange and pink and we’re obsessed with the new designs!

What are you most excited for now that the collection is finally out?

SEEING IT ON OUR FOLLOWERS!!! Now that it is out it’s actually all we care about, we get so excited when someone posts a picture, Monday Swimwear is our baby and nothing beats knowing that another girl loves it as much as we do!

SHOP THE COLLECTION

What are your personal favorites? 

Tash: I am obsessed and in love with the Clovelly Suit in orange, definitely my favorite!

Devin: The Tulum in pink would have to be my favorite, Tash and I designed this suit especially with girls with a larger cup size in mind.

What is the main priority when you are designing the suits? 

Definitely comfort and fit. We have worn 1000’s of bikinis and know first hand how good it feels to find a bikini that fits right. Women underestimate the confidence that a flattering bikini can give you on the beach, we always say, “when you are comfortable you are confident.” We insisted on soft, buttery fabric, seamless designs and added adjustable straps and ties to every suit so they are as customizable as possible; every body is a different shape and bikinis should be made with that in mind.

What makes Monday Swimwear special?

Monday Swimwear is special because it’s our favorite bikini collection, we designed every piece, chose all the fabrics and created something very personal. We hope our followers will feel confident and beautiful when they are wearing Monday Swim knowing that it’s a little piece of us!

What was your biggest obstacle as young entrepreneurs?

The pressure of bringing the collection back as soon as possible really got to us at times. After the first collection sold out within 2 months, our followers wanted more, which was great, but we just couldn’t give it to them and that killed us. Devin and I decided to stop posting on Monday Swimwear’s social media and to stop wearing suits from last season’s collection which was hard for us. Rather than rushing, we wanted to focus on the quality and design, we made an agreement that everyone would have to wait a little longer, no matter how long it took, we would not release it until it was perfect!

Which celebrity would be excited to see Monday Swimwear on? 

Beyonce. We would freak out!!!

What would be your words of advice to other girls that want to start their own swimwear or fashion line?

The most important advice we can give them is to take their time. First impressions last, so design something amazing, work on it until it’s perfect and don’t rush to release it until you know it’s the very best result! Being a designer and creating something of your own is very exciting, but at the end of the day your customers are what matter the most and you won’t want to give them anything thats short of perfection!

Keep up with who’s wearing #MondaySwim in Instagram @MondaySwimwear